Why Labubu Rarely Goes on Sale
Pop Mart's pricing strategy deliberately avoids discounting. Sales and markdowns signal declining demand — the opposite of the exclusivity and collectible status Pop Mart is building. The brand has strong enough demand that discounting is almost never necessary to clear inventory.
For the secondary market, the dynamic is even more one-directional: as retail supply sells through, secondary prices rise. There's no mechanism that brings secondary prices down (other than restocks, which don't happen for limited editions).
Categories That Never Go on Sale
Collaboration series: licensing agreements have end dates. Once the collaboration window closes, no additional production is authorized. Remaining inventory sells through at retail, then the only source is secondary market at premium prices.
Event exclusives: supply was fixed by the event. Zero additional supply ever enters the market. No sale is needed — every piece sold.
Seasonal editions: holiday and seasonal figures have their moment and then retire. Pop Mart occasionally reuses a design year-over-year for popular holiday editions, but this is the exception. Most seasonal pieces are one-and-done.
What You Can Afford to Wait On
Core series figures from ongoing lines (The Monsters, Have a Seat): these restock. If you miss a wave, another is likely coming. Don't pay secondary market premiums for a figure that will be available at retail in 2–4 months.
Mega format figures from core series: these have longer production runs and appear more frequently in promotions or bundles. Patience is more viable here than with limited editions.
Practical rule: if it has 'limited,' 'collaboration,' 'exclusive,' or a season name in its title — buy it now. If it's from a core ongoing series — you probably have time.